


everything could change like that (and all these years go by so fast)

by teamcap



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, F/M, KIND OF im using that very loosely, M/M, Stanley Uris Lives, That's it, from stan's pov, nobody dies!!!!!!!, richie tozier character study, they just have parties and like make fun of each other in a loving way, uhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:26:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamcap/pseuds/teamcap
Summary: The next invitation, in September, is actually an invitation. For his own party."Richie," Stan says when Richie picks up after four rings, "what is this?""It's your 40th birthday bash, Stanny!""I'm not having a 'birthday bash', Richie," Stan says."Tell that to the plane tickets that have already been paid for," Richie clicks his tongue. "And the cake and decorations I'm going to buy." And Stan knows arguing would be a moot point, so he sighs and says,"When are the flights?"orrichie throws birthday parties for everyone, and it goes about as well as you'd expect
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97





	everything could change like that (and all these years go by so fast)

**Author's Note:**

> this is a commission for brie who is so lovely and patient because she deserved this SO long ago but here it finally is, i hope you all enjoy it!!!
> 
> title is from here's to us by halestorm

Stan is in Buenos Aires when he gets the invitation. Okay, he doesn't get the invitation, but he gets a call from Richie a couple of days after he's sure it got to his empty house in Atlanta.

"You haven't RSVP'd, Stan the man," Richie says as soon as Stan picks up. Stan rolls his eyes and mouths an apology to Patty, walking out onto the balcony of the hotel room they're staying in.

"RSVP'd to what?" Stan asks.

"Why, to Richie Tozier's 40th birthday bash! I can hear you rolling your eyes. Don't roll your eyes at me, Stan Uris, what would your mother say?"

"She'd do it too, most likely," Stan says. "Birthday bash? Really? You're a grown man, Richie."

"It's well within my rights as a grown man to throw myself a birthday bash, Stanley."

"If you say so," Stan says, leaning against the railing on the balcony. "When is it?"

"Next week!" Stan can hear him grinning.

"Next week?" He asks. "Rich, you're supposed to send invitations earlier than that, oh my God."

"Yeah, well," Richie says. "So, are you coming or not?"

"Do I have a choice?"

So, that's how he ends up sitting on the arm of a couch that looks like Richie pulled it in off the side of the road, in an apartment that was not built with the intention of having eight people and a very small dog inside of it for any extended amount of time. When Eddie hands him a paper party hat, he almost scoffs.

"Please just put it on," Eddie says. "I promise I hate this more than you do." Stan twirls the hat around in his hands for a minute before Patty takes it from him and puts it on his head for him.

"Now we all match. You're very handsome," she says, grinning. Stan loves her.

"You're enjoying this too much," he says. Mike insists on putting a hat on the dog - a scrawny little mutt, missing an eye, and named Penny because Richie is annoying - and she lets him, running around the apartment and barking to make sure everyone sees. 

“Someone remind me why we’re doing this,” Stan says. “Please.”

“Because we love Richie,” Ben says, and Stan shrugs,

“Debatable.” Bev rolls her eyes, but Stan sees her hide a grin behind the glass of wine she’s been nursing since they came from the hotel to Richie and Eddie’s New York apartment. That’s where they are this week - they’ve alternated between New York and Chicago since they left Derry, and it makes Stan dizzy to think of how much they’ve gone between the two cities instead of just settling on one like normal people.

“Okay, everybody shut up,” Eddie says, “Richie just texted me, he’s on his way up.”

“I can’t believe he bought his own cake,” Bill says, shaking his head.

“I can’t believe he planned his own fucking surprise party,” Stan says, and Eddie glares at the two of them.

“Shut _up_ ,” he says. “He’ll be here in just a second.”

“You’re an enabler,” Stan says. “He’s gonna do this all the time now because you went along with this.”

“We all went along with this, asshole, we’re all standing in this apartment in the dark right now,” Eddie counters. “Now shut up.”

Richie walks through the door of the apartment a few seconds later, cake in hand, and flips the light switch in their front hallway. And, despite the fact that he planned the party himself, he gives them a look of surprise that could almost convince them he had no idea what was going on when they all shout a chorus of ‘surprise’ at him.

“Wow,” he says, looking around at the decorations. “I did a really great job in here.”

“The banner says ‘happy fourth birthday’,” Mike points out.

“They were out of happy fortieth birthday banners, okay, I did my best.”

“That better not be ice cream cake,” Bev says, trying to get close enough to the box Richie has in his hands to see. Richie makes an indignant sound, moving the box out of her line of sight.

“Of course it’s an ice cream cake, Beverly, it’s _my_ birthday.”

“Well actually- ow, Eddie, Jesus Christ,” Bill says, rubbing his arm where Eddie slapped it with all the force in his body.

“Yes, his birthday was last week, this was the best we could do,” Eddie says, and Stan looks at Patty and shrugs.

“Sorry you’re having to deal with them.”

“That’s rude, Stanley,” Richie says, scolding him like a parent, and Patty laughs.

“I like them,” she says, and Stan gives her a pleading look to be on his side. She grins back at him, and sticks her tongue out at him when he takes off his party hat to protest.

“Your cake is going to melt if you don’t eat it or put it in the fridge soon, Richie,” Ben says, and Bev crinkles her nose up in disgust.

“That cake belongs in the garbage.”

“Next person to say something about my cake is getting left out of my will,” Richie says in complete seriousness.

“What would you even list on a will, Richie,” Stan says flatly, “four hawaiian shirts and a couch that looks like you got it out of the dumpster?” Richie flips him off.

“It was the side of the road, not a dumpster,” he clarifies, “and you can’t have it. Or any of my cake. Asshole.”

The cake is, actually, very good, even if Bev spends the entire night acting like she hates it. They sing to Richie, at his request, and they give him their gifts, and nobody burns down the apartment, so Stan considers it a success for everyone involved. He and Patty stay in the same hotel as Ben, Bev, Mike, and Bill, so they all go back to Ben and Bev’s room when Richie kicks them out of the apartment so he and Eddie can be alone.

“I just can’t get over him planning his own surprise party,” Patty says, and Bev, now borderline wine drunk, shakes her head.

“He’s always been like this,” she says. “He used to make us throw him birthday parties when we were younger. Not in a rude way or anything, and not like we wouldn’t have done it ourselves anyway, but he would give us lists of the stuff he wanted. And he was, like, half joking about it every time, but still.”

“He’s insufferable,” Stan insists, and Bev rolls her eyes.

“Shut up, you love him.”

“I’m just trying not to encourage him too much,” Stan says. “Next think you know we’ll be getting invitations for everyone’s birthday, parties planned courtesy of Richie. Holidays, too. We’re creating a monster.”

“You’re dramatic,” Mike says. He’s sitting on the floor, back against the wall, and Bill is asleep against his shoulder. Stan makes a mental note to ask later if they’ve talked at all about whatever it is that they’ve been doing since Derry.

“You say that now,” Stan says, “but I guarantee next month we’ll all be getting invitations to celebrate Ben’s birthday bash.”

-

Stan is right - as he usually is - and they do all get invitations for Ben’s birthday bash a couple of weeks later.

“I told him not to do it,” Ben says to Stan one night. He and Bev are staying with Stan and Patty in Atlanta for a week while they couch hop around the country, and Stan loves having them there because they don’t stress him out, unlike some people. “He insisted, though.”

“Yeah, that sounds right,” Stan says. He pours himself and Ben each a shot and slides Ben’s down the bar to him. “Like I said, he’s insufferable.”

“Bev thinks he’s using it as a coping mechanism or something,” Ben says after he downs his shot. “I’m not a therapist or anything, but I don’t think she’s actually that far off.”

“For what?” Stan asks. “Like, the Derry stuff?”

“Exactly,” Bev says from behind them. She and Patty had been baking in the kitchen, and they come over and sit at the bar with Stan and Ben, a plate of cookies in Patty’s hand. Ben looks between Stan and Patty for a second, like he’s trying to figure something out.

“Does she know…?” He trails off, and Patty nods.

“Stan told me everything. I have to admit I was a little hesitant to believe him at first, but he’s never lied to me. He showed me some of the research you did when you guys were kids, Ben,” she says kindly, and Ben’s face flushes just like it used to when they _were_ kids.

“That’s embarrassing,” he says, and Bev smiles at him. “Thanks a lot, Stan.” Stan gives him a thumbs up from across the bar.

“Well, regardless,” Patty says, “I know all about it.”

“Okay,” Bev says. “Well, Ben’s right. I talk to Eddie a lot – they usually drive between New York and Chicago because Eddie gets sick on planes, and he drives because Richie falls asleep in the car -,”

“Nothing’s changed, then,” Stan says, and Bev grins at him.

“Nothing’s changed. So Eddie and I talk a lot when he’s driving and Richie is asleep. After Richie’s birthday, I asked about the party, because I figured Stan was probably right and that he would do something for everybody. Eddie said he’s already planning all of them, even mine, and it’s not until November.”

“So you think he’s – what?” Patty asks.

“I don’t know exactly,” Bev says, “but if I was guessing, I think he’s scared.”

“Richie?” Stan asks, like he needs clarification.

“Oh, come on, don’t act like you didn’t know him better than any of us when we were kids,” Bev rolls her eyes at him, and Stan gives her a nod, because she’s right. “He was so scared of us knowing how he felt about Eddie that he literally never told anyone.”

“Yeah, okay,” Stan says, “but what now? We’re – we’re fine.”

“I just think he’s scared of losing us again, even though that would obviously never happen now. It did before, though, and then you and Eddie both almost died when we went back. And I think he thinks too much about all the years we lost between leaving Derry the first time and coming back,” Bev says, and she’s always been too damn smart for her own good. Stan takes back another shot and shakes his head.

“Alright,” he says, “when’s Ben’s party?”

It is, as far as Stan is concerned, a wonderful success. Richie and Bev planned a weekend long tour of famous architectural sites around Atlanta, because Ben and Bev end up staying down there for almost a month. Ben is over the moon the entire weekend, including during the actual party the night before they all leave. Stan keeps to himself most of the night, but he watches Richie, who watches everyone else like he’s trying to make sure they’re all having a good time. It’s the same thing he used to do when they were kids – he would wait for everyone’s reactions to see if they liked whatever joke he told. It makes Stan sad, but he doesn’t bring it up.

-

Eddie’s is next, and then Bill’s, and Mike’s after that, all sent out over text or through phone calls. The next invitation, in September, is actually an invitation. For his own party.

"Richie," Stan says when Richie picks up after four rings, "what is this?"

"It's your 40th birthday bash, Stanny!"

"I'm not having a 'birthday bash', Richie," Stan says.

"Tell that to the plane tickets that have already been paid for," Richie clicks his tongue. "And the cake and decorations I'm going to buy." And Stan knows arguing would be a moot point, so he sighs and says,

"When are the flights?" After he gets all the dates and times down, he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Patty comes in the room then, wrapping Stan up in a hug. "Do you think we can fit six more people in this house for a few days?"

"And a dog?"

"And a dog," Stan nods. Patty smiles wide, and maybe, Stan thinks, this won't all be a disaster.

(It is a disaster, but only a little bit.)

Ben and Bev get there the earliest, because they were farthest away.

"California?" Stan asks when Ben tells him, like he didn't hear it right the first time.

"San Francisco," Bev clarifies over Patty's shoulder. "And only temporarily."

"Not temporarily," Ben whispers to Stan. "She loves it out there." He watches as Bev lights up when starts telling Patty everything about the city, has a look on his face like he'd do anything to see Bev like that forever. Stan knows that look.

"I'm happy for you guys," Stan says, and Ben smiles at him.

"Where are the others coming from?"

"Bill and Mike are in Florida," Stan says as he helps Ben get the last of their bags inside the house. "They'll be here tomorrow. Richie and Eddie will be here Friday from... wherever Richie and Eddie come from, I guess." That makes Ben laugh.

"Fair enough."

-

New York, it turns out, is where Richie and Eddie come from.

"So you finally settled down?" Mike asks, and Bev follows up with,

"Please, please tell me you finally settled down."

"I don't settle," Richie says, "I go wherever the winds take me, baby." Bev crinkles her nose like she always has at Richie's pet names.

"Don't call me that."

"We're in New York," Eddie says, rolling his eyes at Richie, but with so much fondness behind it Stan could throw up. "He finally agreed that it's far superior to Chicago."

"Fuck you," Richie says, sticking out his tongue.

"You're forty years old, Rich, Jesus," Stan shakes his head.

"And so are you," Richie says. "At least I'm still fun."

Patty, who loves Richie and Eddie so much it baffles Stan completely, carries Penny around in her arms as she shows the two of them to the room they’re staying in. She insists on carrying Penny around the entire house, actually, and she sticks her tongue out at Stan when he tells her she can’t bring the dog to the restaurant Richie apparently made a reservation at over a month in advance.

“Why not,” Patty says, “she’ll be here all alone if we don’t take her, Stan.”

“Because she’s a dog, and she isn’t a service dog, and apparently this place is nice because Richie told us we have to dress up,” Stan rattles off his list, and Patty concedes, but she tells him she certainly will not be happy about it.

(She and Richie make a failed attempt to sneak Penny out the door under Richie’s jacket, but Stan and Eddie catch them, much to everyone else’s amusement.)

Richie takes them all to Stan’s favorite restaurant in the world – a little diner a half hour drive from his house, and a place that is absolutely not fancy enough to warrant the clothes they’re wearing. Patty insists she told Richie that very thing when he asked her about a place to take them all for dinner, but _he_ had insisted on the fancy clothes. Stan looks at Richie, and then at everyone else, who all seem to be thinking the exact same thing.

“What,” Patty says, looking at all of them, “what am I not getting here?”

“For our senior prom we all agreed Stan should plan where we ate before and what we did after, because he was always the best at making plans that actually amounted to something,” Mike explains. “He told us he made reservations at a really fancy restaurant, and then he took us to a nasty little fast food restaurant right outside of Derry, in our prom clothes. We looked insane.”

“We absolutely did,” Richie agrees, “and we felt like idiots, and Stan thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever done in his entire life.”

“I have to be honest with you,” Patty says, “that fits exactly with the mental image I have of what Stan was like in high school.”

Richie’s ‘reservations’, it turns out, meant that he had paid to rent out the entire diner for the night, and Bev beams at him when he tells them all that. Stan’s favorite diner employees are there, but they stay in the back most of the night, and everyone catches up over dinner. Bev spends thirty minutes just talking about San Francisco, and she tells them all she finally has the rights to her designs again and is relaunching her solo line in a store that Ben’s company is building for her. Bill gives them all the news that he has a publication date for his newest book – with a happy ending, at the insistence of Mike, who is going back to school to be a teacher. Richie is working on another special, including writing his own material, and Eddie has been volunteering a lot and trying to get his driving service up and running again since they’re settled down now, and Stan tells them that he’s thinking about taking some time off to do some travelling with Patty. He promises them all that they’ll visit them in whatever corners of the country they’re in at the time. Over dinner, he looks around, looks at these people he’d been apart from for almost thirty years, and wonders how in the hell he ever managed that. And, more importantly, how he ever forgot them.

He and Richie are the last ones awake that night, sitting at the bar in Stan and Patty’s house and catching up on everything else. Once it nears 2 in the morning, Stan tells him he’s welcome to stay down there and help himself to whatever, but he’s going to bed.

“Hey,” Richie calls out when Stan’s halfway up the stairs to his room. Stan turns around and goes down a few steps so he can see Richie a little better in the dim house.

“Yeah?”

“I hope you had a good birthday, Stan the man,” Richie says, and he’s trying to cover it up, but Stan can hear the sincerity in his voice – and the worry, but just a little.

“I did, Richie,” Stan says. “Thank you.”

-

Bev’s birthday is next, and what Richie’s planning for it is a very big surprise, as he informs Stan over the phone.

“Who exactly is paying for all of us to get out to San Francisco, Rich?”

“Me, obviously,” Richie says. “No paying me back and no getting out of this. Patty’s invited too, obviously.”

“She’ll appreciate that,” Stan says. “We’ll do our best.”

“Can you give me more than that,” Richie says, “because, uh.”

“Because what, Richie, what did you do,” Stan says flatly.

“Well, it’s just that Ben already gave me the name of a hotel close to their apartment so I went ahead and got us rooms and paid for them.”

“Oh my God,” Stan rubs a hand over his face, “oh my God.”

“So maybe I’m not the best at planning,” Richie says.

“Understatement of the century.”

“Anyway,” Richie ignores him, “I already got the rooms. So, see you in two weeks?”

-

Stan and Patty are the last to get to San Francisco, three days after Richie and Eddie and a day after Bill and Mike.

“Please tell me you brought Penny with you,” Patty says when Richie wraps her up in a hug, and Eddie shakes his head.

“She’s staying with a friend in New York,” he says, and Stan says,

“You guys have other friends?”

“I do,” Eddie says, “not sure about Richie, though.”

“I hate you all,” Richie insists, but everyone knows that isn’t true. Ben tells them he has cars waiting and he goes with them to their hotel – which, to Stan’s surprise, is a lot nicer than he expected. Bill lets out a low whistle on the way up to their rooms,

“How’d you afford this, Richie?” He asks, and Richie shrugs.

“I have my ways.”

Stan shakes his head, then turns his attention to Ben. “So Bev has no idea we’re here?”

“None,” Ben says, “which is very impressive considering I find it very hard to keep secrets from her. She’s been working her ass off at her shop and on her new designs so she’s really going to appreciate this. She’ll also definitely ambush all of you and make you go on her tour of San Francisco so she can show you everything she loves here. Just so you know.” After he leaves, they all take it upon themselves to do some exploring until Ben texts them the address of their apartment that night. He gets them all inside and gives them all stuff to do to help him finish dinner – except Richie and Eddie, who are not allowed in the kitchen – and they’re so caught up that they don’t notice Bev walk in until it’s too late.

“What the hell,” she says, looking around the apartment at everyone.

“Nice to see you too, Bev darling,” Richie says, getting up to hug her before anyone else can.

“What are you guys doing here?” She asks, and Stan knows that she definitely already knows, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Richie planned it,” Mike says, going in for a hug. “Happy birthday, Bev.” After dinner she asks how long they’re staying, and she almost cries when Richie tells her they’re going to be there for a week.

-

They spend most of the week being shown around San Francisco by Bev, more excited than Stan has ever seen her in the entire time he’s known her. They see her store, and the office space she and Ben share, and all of their favorite shops and restaurants, and even though Stan still thinks a week was just a little bit of overkill, he has a good time. On the night before they fly home, he ends up on their balcony for almost an hour with a phone call from work, and Ben comes out towards the end, waiting patiently.

“Sorry,” Stan says when he hangs up, “they kind of lose it if I go on vacation, I guess.” Ben waves him off.

“Not a big deal,” he assures him, “I just need your opinion on something.”

“What’s up?” Stan asks, and he watches as Ben reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out a box and flips it open to show Stan an engagement ring. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” Ben says nervously. Stan takes the ring when Ben offers it and looks it over. “It – it’s vintage. Cost me a pretty penny but she deserves it.” He sounds a lot like he used to when they were kids – nervous, and trying his best to hide it.

“It’s very Bev,” Stan says honestly. “I think she’ll love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Stan nods, “besides, it’s from you. That’s what she really cares about. Oh, you’re blushing!”

“Shut up,” Ben says, shaking his head as he takes the ring back and puts it back into the box and in his pocket.

“When are you asking her?”

“That’s the thing, I can’t decide. I mean, I could do it while everyone is here, or I could wait. What do you think?”

“That’s up to you,” Stan shrugs. “Richie’s going to throw your reception either way, the way this year has gone.”

Ben laughs a little at that. “That’s true, I guess. I’ll just do it when it feels right.”

(As it turns out, when it ‘feels right’ is later that night before everyone goes back to the hotel. He gets down on one knee when Bev is distracted in the kitchen, and Richie absolutely spoils the moment by loudly exclaiming what a nice ass ring it is, prompting Bev to ask what the hell he’s talking about before turning around and dropping the entire bottle of wine she was holding.)

(She says yes.)

-

“So,” Stan says when he picks up the phone, “are you planning the reception?” Richie and Eddie are spending a week in Atlanta with him and Patty, and she and Eddie are cooking, so Stan and Richie are sitting out on the back porch while they wait.

“The _reception?_ ” Richie asks, feigning shock. “Stanny, -,”

“Don’t call me that,” Stan interrupts. Richie ignores him.

“ – I’m planning the whole damn thing.”

“Humor me,” Stan says, “what do you know about wedding planning?”

“Nothing,” Richie says bluntly. “Can’t be that hard, though, right? It’s just a big party.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that.” They sit in silence for a minute before Stan decides he might as well bring up something that’s been on his mind for a while. “Rich?”

“What’s up, Stanny?”  
  


“Don’t call me that,” Stan repeats. “Why do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“You know what I mean. The celebrations. The birthday parties, now a wedding – why do you do all of this?” Stan asks. He’s been thinking about it since Bev mentioned months before that she thought he was trying to cope, and Richie’s always been able to see right through him –

“How long have you been waiting to ask me this, man?” Richie asks. He’s dodging the question, but Stan doesn’t point that out.

“A while,” Stan says, which earns him a glare, so he shakes his head. “Okay, okay. Since Ben’s birthday.”

Richie lets out a low whistle. “That’s, uh. That’s a while.” Stan doesn’t say anything, and neither does Richie – and, okay, maybe Stan shouldn’t have brought it up, but it’s too late for that now. They sit in silence for about five minutes before Richie sighs and says, “Okay. I – I’m just trying to make up for lost time. We went thirty years without even fucking knowing each other, man! That’s thirty years of shit we’ve gotta make up for.”

“We don’t have to make up for anything, Richie, none of us do. We have each other now,” Stan says. Richie nods, and Stan can tell there’s something else he wants to say, but he doesn’t push.

Finally, another sigh, and then – “If I say I’m scared, does that sound fucking stupid? It kind of does to me. I’m forty fuckin’ years old, what do I have to be scared of?”

“I don’t know, Rich,” Stan says. “What _are_ you scared of?”

“Clowns,” Richie offers quickly, and Stan gives him a look. “Damn, you want me to get deep here, okay. Uh. Getting old. I know I’m already old, but. It does. Being with Eddie is scary sometimes because I never thought I’d have this and I’m afraid of fucking it up. And I’m afraid of losing you guys again, I guess, and -,”

“Richie,” Stan says, but Richie holds up his hand.

“You gotta let me say all of this at one time or I might throw up or something,” he says, and Stan shuts up. “I know when we were kids we never thought we’d be apart when we grew up, and I know because of that sometimes I didn’t appreciate shit or whatever. And also because I was a little sixteen year old asshole, but. Now I’m a forty year old asshole and – and I know It’s dead and we never have to go back to that shithole town and we haven’t forgotten anything since we left, but I guess part of me is still worried we will.” He stops, and Stan waits for a minute to make sure he’s done before he says anything.

“What’s that have to do with birthday parties, Richie?”

“It’s not really about the birthday parties, just – I’m just trying to make up for lost time, like I said. And just in case we do forget again or whatever, at least I did this. Or something.”

“Don’t get too serious on me, Rich, that’s not you,” Stan says, and Richie laughs a little. “You don’t have anything to be scared of.”

“That’s what Eddie and Bev said, too,” Richie says.

“What did I say?” Eddie says, walking out onto the porch with Patty, who says,

“Eddie and Bev are usually right, you should probably listen to them.”

Richie laughs again, getting up to follow them all inside. “I think you’re right.”

-

Ben and Bev get married in San Francisco in January. And Richie, much to everyone’s surprise, plans a pretty damn good wedding. Not alone, of course – Stan, Eddie, and Patty do a lot of the planning, too, and they book the catering and the venue. Bev insists on designing her own dress, and she holes herself away in her studio until it’s done. Mike and Bill help everyone else, because Ben isn’t much help to anyone at all since he’s so nervous about the entire thing he barely talks. Somehow, they get it all together in time.

It’s very small – Ben and Bev, a few of their local friends, the other losers, Patty, and Penny, because Richie insisted she should be the ringbearer. Ben picks Stan to be his best man the day of the wedding, much to Stan’s dismay, because he has no time to write a good speech. Bev asks Patty to be her maid of honor, much to _Richie’s_ dismay, until Bev hits him on the arm and shuts him up to tell him she wants him to walk her down the aisle. He almost cries.

The reception is at Ben and Bev’s apartment, because that’s what Bev had asked for. They moved around the furniture to make room, and they have food and drinks and Ben and Bev have their first dance in the middle of their living room. Ben cries more than anyone else, which everyone had expected.

Their San Francisco friends leave around midnight, but everyone else stays. After a few hours of catching up – and, because they love to embarrass Stan, telling Patty stories about him in high school – everyone goes out on the balcony for some air and some pictures, but Richie passes out on the couch before they can even make it to the door.

“Let him sleep,” Bev says when Bill tries to kick him awake. “He did a lot for us.”

“I honestly can’t believe he had all this in him,” Bill says. “It was very impressive.”

“He’s been working on making sure this was perfect for months,” Eddie tells them, leaning against the railing. “Just like the birthday parties, only much more extreme.”

“Please for the love of God, Eddie, tell him to skip the birthdays this year,” Mike pleads, and Eddie nods vigorously.

“Way ahead of you, Mikey,” he says. “I made him promise no more over planning and travelling for these. A phone call and a card will be fine.”

“He agreed to that?” Patty asks, and Eddie nods.

“It took some convincing, but yeah. He did say we all have to promise to get together at least twice a year, though.”

“We can do that,” Ben says, “we can definitely do that.” Bev nods in agreement, looking at Richie where he’s asleep on the couch through the sliding glass door.

“Do you think he knows how much we love him?” She asks, and Eddie smiles.

“He knows.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope u liked it!!! i'm @dykearchie on tumblr if u wanna chat :-)


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